Councillors approved the retrospective application after the council admitted to making an “error” in not seeking prior permission before it was painted, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter, and James Cracknell

Artwork 'Autumn' by artist Agwa now adorns Enfield Town Library — Artwork ‘Autumn’ by artist Agwa now adorns Enfield Town Library

A divisive mural on the side of a library will now stay – after Enfield Council’s retrospective planning application was approved by councillors.

The To Autumn mural was unveiled in June on the side of Enfield Town Library, with the artwork having been co-designed by artist Albert Agwa and students from St Anne’s School, using a John Keats poem as inspiration.

However, it later emerged the council had not sought prior planning approval for the artwork, despite the library being located within Enfield Town Conservation Area. More than 600 local people signed a petition calling for the “eyesore” mural to be removed.

During a planning committee meeting last night (Tuesday 18th) three people gave deputations, including Conservative councillors Edward Smith and Emma Supple, who both raised concerns over the mural’s aesthetics and maintenance.

“What is it going to look like in twelve months or two years after a couple of winters?” asked Cllr Smith.

“The concern is that the mural itself will deteriorate, very substantially It will not look as it does now. That is a worry. It will be worse than it is now, and currently many people oppose it.”

Cllr Supple said her inbox was “full” of objections and she highlighted the petition launched by fellow Conservative councillor Chris Dey calling for the mural to be removed. To date the petition has 606 signatures.

Council placeshaping manager Clare Moloney apologised for the “error” made in the planning process and said a decommission plan was set to be submitted if necessary.

A maintenance budget for the mural, which will last for five years, has also been “identified”, although the amount was not confirmed.

Moloney also reassured the committee the mural was not paid for using council taxpayers’ money, but instead from the community infrastructure levy (Cil), which is money raised from developers when they win planning permission.

Conservative committee member Michael Rye said it was “regrettable” the committee was not “dealing with an application before the installation of the artwork” and that if residents in the conservation area wished to “get double glazing” or “enhance their house” they themselves have to go through a “long process”.

The council’s principal heritage advisor, Nick Page, said from a heritage point of view “this isn’t a location I would have chosen to put public art” but added that public benefits such as its “contribution to culture” and “vibrancy and character” outweighed the harms identified.

Following discussion, the committee’s seven Labour members voted in favour of the application and the three Conservative members voted against it.

Separately, the Dispatch has seen evidence released under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to show that the To Autumn mural was originally intended to be installed on a wall in Little Park Gardens, overlooking the new Saddlers Square.

In its FOI response, the council stated: “At the time of artist procurement, the mural was planned to be installed in Saddlers Square. However, the owner of the original site withdrew their consent for the council to use this wall, and we were only informed of this after we completed artist procurement for this commission.

“Following discussions with library and property colleagues, we relocated the mural to the library wall. This is a site is within the scope of the Enfield Town Liveable Neighbourhood programme and as the themes of this commission were to produce mural inspired by Enfield Town’s literary connections and proximity to nature, this site was considered most suitable.”

However, no retendering process took place after the decision was made to relocate.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.